Are you looking for a reliable website to buy photos online from? A simple, elegant and a user friendly stock agency exists and is well known as Shutterstock. It provides individuals, teams and businesses with large inventories of images. The stock site offer stunning content at straightforward prices. However, their only buying option is a subscription model only. If you have lesser creative needs, you can purchase image packs starting at 5 images per pack.

Shutterstock allows users with lesser needs to download high quality images that meet their requirements. Since their pricing and plans are affordable, you can add up on demand subscription without making a larger investment. Here are a few things you need to know about the stock photo site:

Shutterstock’s is the largest royalty-free collection in the world with over 90 million images in their collection.

Over 50,000 new images are added daily.

It has over 2.5 million HD videos.

Other stock content available for purchase and download include images (photo, illustrations, vectors, icons) videos, and music.

It features innovative tools that can help you find what you need faster.

It accepts almost all payment types like American Express, Visa and MasterCard.

Shutterstock photos are of high quality. Most images include a standard license and only has a limited selection of editorial licensed images. The stock photo agency is globally competitive and uses a variety of languages like English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese. Its main headquarter is in New York, USA.

Shutterstock was started by a photographer and has been online since 2003. It is the first stock photo agency that is listed on New York stock exchange. The stock site offers a standard licensed for the Basic, Professional and Team plan. If you want to get an extended license, you should get the enhanced subscription.

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, it is important to incorporate stock images to your blogs. It does not only decorate your web page but also reinforce your message. Of course, all of these are possible as long as you choose the right images. With the overflowing number of stock images in the Internet, where will you get your photos? Surely, there are free images. But, are they safe?

You can find images in Google for free, but they usually come with certain risks. Is free cost worth it? Let us find out. Free images floating around the Internet do not include clear licenses. This means that they may entail certain copyright issues, which may lead to legal and financial damages. To save yourself from all these troubles, consider getting your images from stock photo agencies, like Shutterstock.

Shutterstock is a global technology company that has created the largest marketplace for creative professionals. It caters to both contributors and buyers. Currently, it has also tapped the use of innovative tools to power the creative process. The company offers over 70 million of high quality, royalty free images for every creative project. You will surely find the perfect image for your website blogs.

Shutterstock offers freebies in the form of images and, most recently, an editor. Shutterstock Free Imagesare offered to members once every week. That’s right. All you have to do is set up a free account and you will be able to download the free image instantly. The free photo of the week is available in high resolution and various sizes to fit your creative needs. It includes a free license, which allows you to use the image anytime, anywhere and for as long as you like.

The Shutterstock Free Editor is a new innovative tool offered by the stock photo agency. Currently in beta, it offers a simple, easy and fast way to edit images. The Editor allows you to find the right image using innovative search, make easy and quick edits, and create the perfect image. It saves you a lot of time. Moreover, it offers preset sizes for every social media network.

Many famous companies are already using Shutterstock due to its vast collection of images, free images and tools, and awesome customer support. It offers over 70 million images with over 40,000 images added daily from photographers around the world. Most of all, the stock photo site offers fair and simple pricing. You can purchase by single image or per month, whichever suits your creative needs and budget.

If you do not want to miss any of these features, you may want to set up an account now. Don’t worry it’s free!

You are creating a project and find yourself in need of locating that perfect image to make it complete. You search online for hours, find just the right photo only to find you will have to pay a fortune for that one image. You can eliminate all this hassle by heading to istockphoto first.

The first thing you need to do is create a membership account on the iStockphoto home page. Once your account is setup, you select a price plan that suits your needs and your budget. Images, illustrations and video clips are available for purchase on a credit system. Each of these media outputs cost three credits on average. You can pay $33 the credits you need to download one image, illustration or video clip. There is a monthly subscription plan that has two levels of service, essential and signature. The essential plan is $40 per month and grants you access to ten non-signature photos, illustrations or video clips each month. A signature subscription plan is $99 per month and gives you access to the entire iStockphoto library.

Now that your account is open, you are ready to start finding the perfect images you need to complete your latest project. The istockphoto home page features a selection of free products that are currently available. You are free to use as many of these images, videos or illustrations as you would like without having to worry about burning through your monthly download quota. The free items typically appear towards the bottom of the home page.

Right above the free items section are the paid categories that you can select from. Examples of these categories include infographics, business images and background images. There is also a search box available allowing you to find quickly the images, video clips and illustrations of interest to exactly what you have in mind.

Once you have found a photo, video or illustration that works for what you have in mind, you just use the credit system to obtain the item. You can now download the item to your computer where you are free to use it whenever and wherever you like.

When a new project arrives on your desk that needs a perfect photo to go with it, you only visit the iStockphoto website, log into your account and start searching for the next picture, illustration or video clip to compliment your design.

iStock by Getty Images

iStock is owned by Getty images. They are a professional MicroStock agency that does more than just offer photos. In fact, by joining iStockphoto using an iStock promo code, you’ll be eligible to get a lifetime’s worth of free stock media. If you’re anything like me, then you know what an incredible value this is when it comes to your overall marketing strategy.

Free Files Every Week

You heard me right – free files every week. This means no obligation – no buying anything, no signing up for anything – nothing. What can you expect to receive courtesy of iStock, week after week? These free files set the example for the entire iStock library.

Free Photo

Free pictures – that’s the most obvious one, right? Although iStock does not offer free editorial images, they do offer free stock images. Remember that when they offer these images, they are offering the royalty-free license on them. As is the case with many stock photos, free is not necessarily free.

Free Illustration

Illustrations are digital drawings and computer graphics that help enhance your article or blog post. Keep in mind that iStock only accepts the best images from their contributing artists – they have a reputation uphold. In other words, their illustrations have been designed by professional graphic artists and hand-picked to be featured as the free illustration.

Free Video Clip

You didn’t think that iStock was limited to photos and illustrations, right? Did you know that many of the commercials you see on television utilize stock video footage somewhere in their commercial? Where do you think these advertisers get their stock video footage? That’s right – you guessed it – from places like iStock photos.

Free Audio Clip

You know, one of the best ways to establish yourself as an authority in your niche is to diversify how you deliver your information. What does this mean for you? Well, have you ever considered starting a podcast? In the same way that stock illustrations and stock photos can enhance blog posts, stock audio clips can enhance your podcasts and make them more engaging. Use these clips to increase your audience base.

What Can You Use Them for?

There are several more ways you may utilize any of these files for more than just marketing. Creative professionals also use them, such as event photographers who use them in their finished products. Are you a creative professional? You can use them for your blog posts, podcasts and yes – even in your videos. It won’t take long for you to see the value iStock offers simply by becoming a member.